weapons

Question: If you’re launching yourself as a maker of prop replicas, what’s the best way to get people’s attention? Answer: Bring a ruddy great big weapon to life. That’s exactly what newly-minted group Show and Tell Props have done, kicking the doors in and announcing their presence to the world with a very detailed replica of The Last Minute, one of those one-of-a-kind weapon variants from Fallout 4.

Revealed on a thread on the RPF forum, the replica is entirely hand-crafted. The frame is built from a combination of MDF and oak, and the nixie tube charge indicator seen in-game is simulated with electrical components. a Sculpt Nouveau finish gives it that lovely aged, rusting look.

This gorgeous Nord bow from Skyrim was made by Carmen over at Fev Studios. It’s a fantastic reproduction with beautiful metalwork combined with wood and leather accents that would be any cosplayer’s dream. It’s also a real working bow, so watch your knees!

These beautiful Game of Thrones prop replicas from Valyrian Steel were on display at GenCon this weekend, but don’t worry, you can have them for yourself even if you didn’t make the convention.

It’s easy enough to see how they make replicas of weapons that exist as props, but the ones they make that haven’t been seen on the show have an even more interesting story. They start by collaborating with George R.R. Martin and a sketch artist. It’s sort of like a police sketch artist getting a description of a criminal, but in this case it’s a weapon that they keep sketching until they capture the vision in Martin’s head.

I spoke with Chris Beasley, President of Valyrian Steel, and he talked about how great it’s been working with Martin and bringing his visions to life. He said that although the man can write, he’s not an artist, so the back and forth to create the things not seen on the show is an involved but interesting process.

As for the replicas based on show pieces, Chris actually gets his hands on the real props so he can see exactly how they look. He had Jaime Lannister’s actual sword on display in a case and said it’s going back as soon as he’s home from GenCon. Yes, he also has gotten his hands on some of the helmets, like the Hound’s Helm, which was so authentic he said it even smelled like sweat when he tried it on. (Ew, gross…cool!)

These props all look beautiful in pictures, but they are absolutely stunning in person with all the heft and materials you’d expect from the actual weapons. The only thing they don’t have is sharpened blades so if you’re planning on lopping off the hand (or other body part) of your enemy, then you’ll have to do the sharpening on your own.

In addition to weapons, they make other props and beautiful statues and busts based on the characters. Many of these products are available to order right now, but some are still in development. Expect to see those on their site over the coming months.

Nightmare’s Soul Edge is a huge and deadly weapon from Soul Calibur 5 and Casy Kovach has built an impressive full-size version of the weapon. It’s incredibly detailed and even has a glass eye. He plans to debut the cosplay weapon at this year’s DragonCon.

This gigantic Titan foam sword is 5′ long and has a 45″ blade that you can whack people over the head with if they don’t get out of your way. Not that we condone that behavior. It’s also got blue LED lights in the pommel and blade that shine at the flick of a switch. All it takes are two AA batteries and you are ready to rumble. It even splits in two and includes a handy carrying case so you can easily take it on cosplay trips to conventions.

Carrying your genuine replica bat’leth with you to the office might violate a company policy or three, but this sterling silver necklace will be no problem. It’s entirely hand cut, including the extra detailing on the handles and measures about 2″ across on a 45cm chain.

This beautiful holster was designed by master leathersmith David Vigil for Vigilante Leather and is available for preorder with a September delivery date. It’s a faithful reproduction of the gun holster worn by Nathan Drake in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and features hand-tooled, custom dyed leather and custom made metal hardware. The holster has been stress-tested and waterproofed and includes 8 adjustable buckles that help assure a perfect fit.

This two-tone t-shirt features a design made up of 33 superhero weapons, some of which are more obvious than others. I’m sure the good folks at Rickenbacker are happy to see that Haruko’s bass made the cut.